Perfection. It’s a word that most photographers think about daily. The perfect light. The perfect angle. The perfect pose. The perfect exposure. The perfect _______. It can become all consuming if you let it.

I had a realization that I had become obsessed. Obsessed with perfection. Being perfect. Fitting into a mold with all the other perfect photographers. I started to shoot differently. Pictures didn’t look like Melissa Zimmer. They looked like {insert another ‘perfect’ photographer here}. I started to hate photography.

Getting behind the lens had become a chore, how did this come to be? The passion, love, energy seemed to fade away. All I could think about was being perfect. This is when I had a realization. I needed a break. A real one. One where I put down the camera and just found myself again.

At first it was hard. I would be playing with my daughters and the ‘perfect’ light would hit them. I need to capture this!! But I would resist and just play with them. How much fun I had just being present in their lives – not consumed with the almighty pressure of perfection. Some days we would just lay around in pajamas. The house was a mess. It was fine, because the idea of perfection flew out the window.

After a whole month without photography, I knew I was ready to get behind the lens again. I felt revived. Refreshed. Inspired. I felt like my old self again.

My first day back behind the lens was a gray, snowy day. The light wasn’t perfect. It was OK. They were perfect and their smiles were so genuine and happy. Their excitement was true. This moment was beautiful.

This story is important, because it was my journey to re-discovering the photographer that I want to be. The one that tells a story. The one that captures the moments, no matter how big or small. The one that isn’t always perfect.